Vivisection
by they-call-me-circe
Summary: Vivisection: n The action of cutting into or dissecting a living body." The recreational activities of a GENtern's employer strike too close to home.
1. A GENtern's Preference

Vivi had left the GeneCo building at a run, but even though she tried to keep it up, she had to slow to a walk before she was even out of sight of her (former?) place of employment. _Damn these shoes! How are we supposed to work efficiently in these ridiculous platforms?_ The humidity pressed in on her, and she thought she might suffocate in the city air of Sanitarium Island. Every so often, she would try to speed her steps to a jog, but that never lasted long. She wouldn't take off the shoes, though; never know what you could step on in these streets. She just kept trudging down the uneven sidewalk, avoiding cracks and trying not to think of broken ankles. The sensible voice in the back of her head, the one that had advised her not to leave work in the first place, the one that had made her grab her coat on the way out, was telling her that she should at least be paying attention to her route. Vivi, however, had fulfilled her daily sensibility quotient and didn't want to think of anything at all.

_His face… her face. Callisto_. She had been stocking shelves in Storage B, mostly lungs, when the whisper went around. _Pavi… Pavi's coming_. Paviche Largo, the boss's middle child, and their boss in turn, in a way. The other GENterns' faces had smiles pasted on, but their eyes through their masks were inscrutable. Vivi had seen Pavi on posters and the floating billboard, like everyone else, and she had heard rumors, but she had never met the man. When he entered the room, his movements almost exaggeratedly catlike, the others had crowded around him too quickly for Vivi to get a good look. Nica had grabbed Vivi's pale arm in her slender cocoa brown hand and dragged her forward so that Vivi had almost tripped.

"Better go say hi," the senior GENtern had muttered. "He likes to see the new girls." Vivi turned to answer and her shoe slid on a puddle of preserving fluid. She threw out her arms for balance, and suddenly there was a hand on either side of her ribcage, supporting and steadying her. The hands lifted her so that she was back on her feet and stable once again. Vivi turned to thank the owner of the hands and found herself looking into the face of her roommate Callisto. The height of the face was wrong, though, and so were the eyes. The body that accompanied the face was _entirely_ wrong- it was _male_- and there was something else… scar tissue. Scars surrounded the deep brown eyes, eyes that should have been green, and encircled the face from hairline to jaw. The voice that emerged from Callisto's rosebud lips nearly made Vivi's heart jump from her body.

"And who is this?" the man purred in a far-too-Italian accent. His eyes quickly left Vivi's face to survey her body. Vivi was too shocked even to be offended or flattered by this attention, too shocked to answer for herself.

"Vivi DePaul, Mr. Largo," Nica said. Pavi raised Vivi's right hand to Callisto's lips and kissed it. Those lips felt like latex, a mockery of human flesh, the warmth too far removed from the skin, and Vivi dared to hope for a moment that it was only a mask, but no, there was the freckle that sat just a few millimeters from the corner of Callisto's eye. Vivi shuddered and immediately wished she could have kept herself from doing so, but Pavi just smiled with Callisto's mouth and said, "It is lovely to meet you, Miss DePaul. I hope we might soon get to know each other better, _bella_." When he released her hand, two more GENterns rushed to take her place and she let herself be nudged toward the back of the group. Even when the others surrounded him, she continued to back away until her back hit one of the shelving units. And then she turned, followed the unit back until she reached the far wall of Storage B, and then she opened the door and stepped through.

She made her way through Storage A, through the hallway beyond, down the stairs, through the locker room, and down even more stairs, her feet gradually picking up speed. And then she was out the back door, in the unguarded alleyway behind the GeneCo building.

And now she was wandering the streets of the city that had been her home all of her twenty-two years, streets that she had never walked alone, still wearing her white dress and shoes and red mask. At least she had a coat to wrap around herself; although it was warm, she felt so strangely exposed. When it got darker, she took off her mask and rolled it up. Now she could almost be anyone, and that was the most comforting thought she had had all day. In the night-dark of a city that was never truly light, however, there was never much comfort to be had by those who were not using the darkness to their advantage. Vivi was surrounded by nothing familiar, and being between buildings as she was, she could not even see the giant floating billboard at the city's center.

The night people were coming out, right now just the junkies, but soon there would be others that would pose more of a threat, and much as she hated to, Vivi knew she would have to take any port in a storm. She said a quick prayer to whoever might or might not have been out there- Mom? Dad?- and stopped at the gate of a Victorian-looking house with a couple lights on inside. Another prayer- probably futile- was needed before she pressed the intercom button.

She almost left before she received a response, slow as it was in coming. She had just turned away when the speaker crackled and a voice said, "Yes?" It was a man's voice with a slight British accent, and it sounded more than a little weary. Vivi realized she had no idea of the time, although she thought it couldn't be too late.

"Um, I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but I'm lost and I was wondering if…" She didn't have a clue what she was wondering. She tugged on one dark curl in frustration. _I'm so_ stupid _sometimes!_ The intercom was silent, waiting for her to continue. "I'm sorry, I just, I need some help, I mean, directions, or-" The intercom buzzed and the gate swung open a few inches. Vivi pushed through and closed it behind her, and started up the walk. The door before her was opening and a figure appeared, backlit by the warm glow of the lamplight inside. The door closed and Vivi had to squint to see in the space that seemed even darker now. As she got closer, details about the man emerged little by little. He seemed fairly tall, though she couldn't be sure about that because he was standing on the step. He wore a sweater, trousers and boots; his hand reached up to adjust old-fashioned glasses.

"Can I help you?" he said. His was the voice from the intercom.

"I'm very sorry, and this is going to sound strange, but I'm lost." Vivi started to laugh and wasn't sure why, maybe out of nervousness, maybe out of self-deprecation. _Cut it out, you're going to sound like a crazy person!_ She took a few breaths and said, "I'm sorry. I've been walking around most of the day and I don't recognize anything anymore. I'm not really sure what to do."

"Where are you trying to go?" She hesitated. She didn't know anything about this person; he could be as harmless as he sounded, or he could be a complete psychopath. Not that anyone in this city was completely sane, but… _Don't be an idiot about this!_ "Can you tell me how to get to Westminster Boulevard?"

"Which end?" Vivi hesitated and the man sighed. "Look, I'm not-- If you're trying to get to the east end then you just continue down this street, take a right onto Salvation, and another right onto Westminster. If you're trying to get to the west end, I wouldn't advise going _that_ way, even in daylight. You'd have to go _up_ this street- Columbia- for a few miles and then take a left onto Chroma, a right onto Valdemar, and continue on just past the Square." Past the Square… _Damn it!_ She'd been traveling in completely the wrong direction for hours. She pulled at her hair as the man said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." He opened the door and started to go back inside.

"Wait!" He stopped. _Wait for what, idiot?_ "I'm, uh... I don't really know you, but-" _But what?_ "-but I'd rather take my chances here than out there. I'm not asking for you to let me in!" she added. "I can sleep out here, under a hedge or something, but I can't go back out there. I'm sorry. I can't." _Very nice. You've just bullied a complete stranger into letting you sleep in his yard, after leaving work in a panic. All in a day's work._ The man was standing frozen on the stoop. _Nice job, jerk. You scared the poor guy._ "I'm sorry," she said. "My name's Vivian DePaul."

"Nice to… meet you," the man said. Vivi's face reddened. _At least he's polite, unlike you._ "May I ask, Miss DePaul, is there someone after you?"

"Hmm? No! I just…" You're _going to sound like a child, or a cat lady._ "I just don't get out much. I'm not used to walking around by myself at night. It's not safe." The way his head tilted, it almost looked like he was smiling at that.

"I understand."

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Author's Note: So! What do you think so far? How are Pavi and Nathan written? Have I made it clear that that's Nathan from about halfway through the chapter to the end? How is the dialogue? What do you think of Vivi's internal dialogue? What do you think of the street names? Any comments/constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!


	2. We are at an Impasse

Author's Note: Hallo there! Forgot to do this before, but I'm sure you've guessed that I do not own Repo! The Genetic Opera, and I'm just a silly fangirl. With that out of the way, on to chapter 2!

* * *

The man stepped forward and offered his right hand. "Nathan Wallace." That name seemed familiar…

"Do you work for GeneCo?" Vivi said. Something about Nathan's posture changed.

"Yes. I'm a surGEN. Why do you ask?" His tone was curt, the ends of each word forcibly bitten off. Vivi wondered if she had said something wrong.

"I just thought I'd heard your name mentioned at work. I'm a GENtern," she said, holding up the trademark mask. "I just started today." Nathan just nodded. _Not much of a conversationalist, is he? _"So, about, um, tonight…" Vivi began in an attempt to dispel the awkward silence. _Perhaps you should have been more specific_, she thought, as she realized that she sounded as though she could be propositioning the man.

"Er, pardon? Oh!" he said, apparently catching her meaning a second too late. Another awkward silence followed. "Yes, well, I'm sorry to say this, but I'm afraid it won't be possible for you to stay here." He glanced up at the house.

"I don't want to impose, of course," Vivi said, panic rising again. "I could even stay in the yard, I was serious about that."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," Nathan said. "I'm sorry. I think it would be better if you left."

_Better for who, you British house-bat?_ Vivi thought as she exited the yard and turned right. It was only when she reached the intersection of Columbia and Salvation that she realized she was going the way that Nathan Wallace had told her _not_ to take to the west end of Westminster. _Who needs him?_ Vivi thought, and started to turn onto Salvation when nerves took over and froze her feet. It wasn't safe,_" even in daylight;"_ those had been his words, and all semblance of daylight was completely gone from the city. She turned back the way she had come, glared at Nathan's house as she passed, and walked until she reached an intersection.

_Chroma…_ That was one of the streets she was supposed to take, wasn't it? _Turn left…_ or right… or walk past it until you come to… "I don't remember!" Vivi half-laughed. At her shout, a lump of clothing propped against an abandoned factory wall to her left shifted and morphed into a humanoid shape. An explosion of blue hair rose and turned, but Vivi didn't wait to see if the man (or woman, it was hard to say) had seen her and wanted to repay her for waking him (or her).

Backtracking, she found herself back in front of Nathan's house. _You can't get home. You can't stay here. You could wander around until you get stabbed, how's that for options?_ Vivi crossed her arms and tried to think. The city didn't usually get cold, but it was getting late and the wind was picking up. _Any port in a storm…_

Vivi made up her mind. She turned back again, reached the corner of the iron fence, and turned. Following the fence, she made a point of not looking at the house, as though she lived in the house next door and had every right to be taking a stroll around the yard. _I'll climb the thing if I have to_, she thought as she flicked her eyes to the left after every few steps, but luckily such a feat was unnecessary. There was a foot-wide gap in the fence where one of the bars had apparently rusted and fallen. Vivi slipped through sideways, tripped over the lower crossbar and fell onto her side.

"Ow!" she said, before she could stop herself. She threw a hand over her mouth, but no one seemed to be around to hear her. She swung her legs over the crossbar, pushing the hem of her skirt up to her waist in the process. _Classy. Well, at least you're off the street. Better go find a hedge or something._ Even as she rolled her eyes at her internal voice, she fixed her dress crawled over to the foundation of the house, careful to avoid any basement windows that might be there. Finding none, she curled up under a dead shrub and pulled her coat over herself. She tucked her mask under the coat with her and rested her head on the firm-packed dirt. Her last thought before she fell into sleep was, "How am I going to explain this at work?"

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This chapter is rather shorter than the first one, but this seemed to be a logical stopping place. I'd love to hear your opinion on this story/chapter!


	3. Cold Comfort

Author's Note: At long last, I have returned! Hope you didn't miss me too much. :P

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Vivi wondered why, when she woke to blue morning light on her face, every joint in her body felt as though it had rusted solid. She got her answer when she looked around and her nose came within inches of a dead tree trunk. The ground under her right side was cold, hard, and slightly damp. She stood up and immediately wished she had stayed down. Everything felt awful: her hips and shoulders seemed to be out of alignment, her neck had lost about half of its range of motion, and her legs felt as though they could snap in at least ten places. Vivi shivered and wrapped her coat tightly around herself. There was barely anyone on the street yet- she counted that as a good sign- and no one was coming out of the house, yelling at her to get out of the yard. _Better get out now, before they do._ She almost left without her mask, but remembered it before she climbed through the fence. This time, she managed to get through without falling over.

In daylight, her way seemed clearer- she stopped for directions only once, at a tiny diner where the waitresses spoke with reassuringly false cheer- and reached GeneCo Tower in what she thought was a short time. She didn't want to be seen, so she took off her shoes and opened the door to the stairwell. After the eighth flight of stairs, she had to drag herself by the banister. _It's not like anyone else takes the stairs anyway._ This assumption was disproved when a door opened and Nica stepped in front of her.

Vivi kneeled on the stairs, panting and staring up at the senior GENtern. _I'm pretty sure she never expected to see me like this. Bugger._

"Where the hell have you been?" Nica said, pulling Vivi up by her arms. "I turned around for two seconds and you were gone. You better have a damn good excuse for skipping out of work yesterday."

Vivi was still breathing too hard to answer, so she started gesturing to her face and pointing up. "Pavi-" she gasped. "Pavi- he-"

"And what are you doing taking the stairs?" Nica said. "You've got four more flights to go before the locker room, and you're half-dead already. Put your shoes back on and let's go." Vivi did as she was told, grateful on some level, and Nica pulled her to her feet again. The other GENtern wrapped one arm around Vivi's waist and placed one of Vivi's arms around her shoulders. She half-carried Vivi out the door and into the ninth floor lobby. The elevator was right next to the stairs, but they had to wait. Nica supported Vivi's weight without complaining and when the doors slid open they stepped inside. By this time, Vivi thought she could probably stand on her own, but Nica wasn't moving away, and she thought it would be somehow rude to let go. Besides, after a night of sleeping on cold ground in a stranger's yard, there was something comforting about the warmth of another person.

Nica led Vivi out of the elevator, through the locker room doors and into Nica's tiny but fairly private office. Nica pulled the shades down over the windows that looked out onto the locker room and sat down behind her desk. She began speaking as Vivi shrugged off her coat and sat across from her.

"Okay, you've got five minutes to explain- _gods_!" Nica's wide eyes shot all over Vivi's body, never lingering in one place for long. Vivi was confused for a second before she looked down at herself. _Gods!_ Her thoughts echoed Nica's words. Barely any part of her uniform could be called white anymore. There were scrapes and friction burns all over her arms, and she could see the edge of a turquoise bruise reaching past the hem of her dress. "What happened?" Nica said, and there was nothing accusing about her tone.

"The, uh, the reason I ran out yesterday is, well," Vivi began, "Pavi- that is, Mr. Largo- he- his face-"

"Yes, it's a little unnerving at first," Nica said, her eyes meeting Vivi's again. "But we all have our little… quirks. If you want to keep your job- and believe me, you do- you'll get used to it eventually."

"But his face, it's my roommate's," Vivi said, her stomach turning over. "My roommate, Callisto Roberts, she went out two nights ago and didn't come back. I didn't even worry until I saw him…" She couldn't continue. There seemed to be something stuck in her throat.

Nica walked around the desk and put her arms around Vivi. "I'm sorry, honey," she said, and Vivi choked out a sob. _Stop it! Stop crying!_ she ordered herself, but to no avail. Tears streamed out over her eyelids and onto Nica's shoulder, but the other woman didn't seem to mind. She just kept rubbing Vivi's back and saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Finally, Vivi pulled away. "We have to do something," she said, wiping at her eyes. "We could tell someone." But Nica just shook her head. "Why not?"

"You're talking about outing Paviche Largo, son of Rotti Largo, founder of GeneCo, as a face-stealing murderer."

"Yes, but it's true!"

"I know that, and so does everyone else."

Vivi stared at Nica in disbelief. "But… no one's done anything!"

Nica sighed. "This isn't the first time you've about you've heard about the Pavi's 'extracurricular activities,' is it?"

"Those were just rumors."

"Rumors that, for the most part, were every bit as true as what you've just told me. And you never heard those rumors firsthand, did you?" As Vivi shook her head, she heard the door to the locker room swing open. Nica turned toward the sound and stood, smoothing down her dress. "Take a new uniform from the sterilizing cabinet and get cleaned up. You have to scan in in 20."

"I don't think-" Vivi began.

"You're too new to be taking time off," Nica said. "As it is, if my superiors hear that I've taken you back after yesterday, and it's more of a 'when,' not an 'if,' they'll think I'm going soft. Like I said, _you want to keep this job_."


End file.
